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Time For The Jake Heaps Fairy Tale To Continue

Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Jake Heaps’ career, to this point, has all the makings of a fairy tale. As the number one high school quarterback recruit, he committed to play for BYU the summer before his senior year of high school in a self-orchestrated press conference. Heaps used his influence to reel in two other prized recruits for the Cougars the same day as the press conference. In the time between his commitment to the day he enrolled at BYU, Heaps went to the Elite 11 Quarterback Camp and earned MVP honors, won his third straight Washington 4A state championship, and was named All-American.
Heaps started classes at BYU in January 2010. Max Hall had just completed his BYU career, and the starting quarterback spot was up for grabs. Heaps exceeded everyone’s expectations during spring football, and in fall camp earned himself some guaranteed playing time.

September 4, 2010, a new chapter in the Heaps fairy tale began. In the very first game that he was eligible, Heaps made his debut. True to fairy tale protocol, that game was against his hometown Washington Huskies, and, yes, BYU won. Heaps played a key role in the win. He rotated offensive series at quarterback and directed two scoring drives (both field goals) in the six-point win. By the end of game three last year, Heaps was the full-time starter.

At season’s end, Heaps had set new freshman records at “Quarterback U” for most touchdown passes, passing yards, completions, attempts, and wins in a season. To cap it all off, Heaps earned MVP honors at the New Mexico Bowl after guiding BYU to a 52-24 win and setting three BYU bowl records.

Like any good fairy tale, Heaps’ freshman season balanced peeks at his heroic potential with good doses of opposition. In the first half of the season, Heaps was very pedestrian at times. Twice he had less than 100 yards passing in a game. He also lost three of his first four starts.

The 2011 football season will start in a few short days, and the pen is prepared to chronicle the new adventures of this Davey O'Brien Award candidate. The plot is perfectly laid out for a sensational part two in the Heaps fairy tale.

Heaps will lead BYU as it opens a new era as a college football independent.

Heaps can avenge three of his four losses as a starter from a year ago. Rematches with Utah, Utah State, and TCU are on the schedule.

Heaps will be showcased nationally as his Cougars become a fixture on ESPN.

Heaps has a showdown with UCF quarterback Jeff Godfrey who was also a freshman QB in 2010, but Godfrey is widely considered to have had the better season.

Heaps will play at Hawaii in the regular season finale, which has been a huge stumbling block for other Cougar legends.

Heaps’ place in Cougar lore will benefit greatly if he can pile up wins, pad his stats, and lead BYU up the national rankings.

Positive results in these key twists in the plot, and the Heaps fairy tale will be alive and well.

The first step, however, is to go down to SEC country and deliver a win. Only one other BYU quarterback has done that, and it just so happens that he is Heaps’ tutor—offensive coordinator/quarterback coach Brandon Doman.

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BYU football has been pretty hard to watch in 2017, particularly on offense. After game two, a 27-0 loss to LSU, Head Coach Kalani Sitake said, "I know I am coming down hard on the offense, but, man, let's be honest, that was the issue." The offensive production hasn't gotten much better since, and Sitake hasn't changed his rhetoric.

Who would blame him? BYU is averaging 9.8 points per game, 4.3 yards per play (3.2 yards per rush and 5.2 yards per pass), and 221.75 total yards per game. The Cougar offense has converted just 34 percent of third downs, has averaged 23:47 time of possession, and has a 93.7 pass efficiency rating.

That has some fans speculating that one or more coaches will be fired before the end of the season. That is madness. No one on the BYU coaching staff will be unemployed before the game at Hawaii on November 25.

Making a coaching change midseason is reserved for exceptional cases. Either something happens off the field, or the same problem …

Growing up a fan of BYU football was fun. The foundation had already been laid with the 1984 National Championship, the long list of All-American quarterbacks, and the reputation of being an unstoppable offensive powerhouse. I witnessed Ty Detmer win the Heisman Trophy, Steve Young win Super Bowl MVP honors, and the legendary LaVell Edwards build a team that won the Cotton Bowl and could compete with any team in the country.

It wasn't long ago that Max Hall delivered on his passionate halftime guarantee, "We're going to win," and beat the number 3 ranked Oklahoma Sooners. The Cougars did it without running back Harvey Unga, who would set the school's career rushing record later that year.

At that time BYU was on the bubble of busting the BCS every year, and with the legacy that Cougar football has, fans were justified in believing their beloved Cougars were still among the top tier in college football.

The 2017 football season is three games old for BYU. The Cougars have already been shutout once, they have not passed for more than 200 yards in a game, and have no real established playmakers. That is a formula for furious fans in Cougar Nation.

Some fans are calling for a coaching change. Others are preaching patience. A third group wants the offensive coaches to run a different scheme.

It is no secret that offensive coordinator Ty Detmer is not trying to run the same scheme he used as a player at BYU to rewrite the NCAA record book. The offense he wants to run resembles what he learned during his 14 seasons in the NFL.

Lackluster results this year has this approach under scrutiny. After all, Tanner Mangum does not look like the same quarterback who passed for 3,377 yards, 23 touchdowns, and had a 136 pass efficiency rating in Robert Anae's offense as a freshman.

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